Bruce Springsteen sang “Everybody’s got a hungry heart” and some of his “fans” are apparently hungrier than others.
Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan® program may have had its heart in the right place for the pre-registration and subsequent sale of tickets for the 39 performances of “Springsteen on Broadway.”
[Update, 1:30 p.m. ET: The run is being extended with dates “through Feb. 3.” More details below.]
But for every fortunate fan who got the offer code on Wednesday (August 30) morning and got tickets in Row A of the Walter Kerr Theatre balcony for just $75 each, within minutes there were those that chose to try to make a quick buck. Or quick 10 thousand bucks. Per ticket. Yes, you read that right.
Listings on secondary ticket market seller Ticket Network (of which Best Classic Bands is an affiliate) showed greedy “fans” taking advantage of their good fortune, with many looking for an early holiday bonus, pricing their tickets in the five figures.
The info on Springsteen’s website reads: “This unique fan-first technology is intended to level the playing field to combat bots and get real tickets into the hands of fans who intend to go to the event.”
Just after 3 p.m. ET, Ticketmaster tweeted details about the extension…
#SpringsteenBroadway extended run information ⬇️
🚨YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER AGAIN!🚨
NEW #VerifiedFan registration: https://t.co/2xNBBhcVES pic.twitter.com/FT3mLaTLPV— Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) August 30, 2017
For those who choose to criticize Springsteen and Ticketmaster, their argument is misplaced. While prices ranged from a low of $75 to a high of $850 (for those front orchestra seats), buyers were limited to just two tickets. Producers of Broadway’s hottest shows such as Hamilton charge many hundreds of dollars for their top seats.
Did Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan® program backfire? It’s not an easy answer and there’s no one forcing anyone to purchase those $10,000 re-sale tickets.
“Springsteen on Broadway,” a solo show–“just me, the guitar, the piano and the words and music”–will play at the 960-seat Walter Kerr Theatre (218 West 48 St.) in New York City. Performances begin Tuesday, Oct. 3, with an official opening on Thursday, Oct. 12. Springsteen will perform five shows a week through November 26.
“I wanted to do some shows that were as personal and as intimate as possible. I chose Broadway for this project because it has the beautiful old theaters which seemed like the right setting for what I have in mind. In fact, with one or two exceptions, the 960 seats of the Walter Kerr Theatre is probably the smallest venue I’ve played in the last 40 years. My show is just me, the guitar, the piano and the words and music. Some of the show is spoken, some of it is sung. It loosely follows the arc of my life and my work. All of it together is in pursuit of my constant goal to provide an entertaining evening and to communicate something of value,” says Springsteen in the announcement.
Springsteen on Broadway Performances
October 3-7, 10-11, 13-14, 17-21, 24-28, 31
November 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 21-22, 24-26
For those willing to shell out higher prices, click here.
Related: Interview with John Hammond, who signed Springsteen
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